Ice remover with scraping pins



June 1951 c. w.- HARSHBARGER 91 ICE REMOVER WITH SCRAPING PIN Filed May 10, 1947 INVENTOR. CLAAPf/VCE M Hwy/mesa? A7 TOR/V515 Patented June 12, 1951 STATES F F'i'C E signor' to: Timothy- Michz.

La F0ntaine;, Detroit,

Application May" 1947,,Serial No.- 747,181

G-Glaims.

This invention relates toan ice removing device and particularly to an improved implement for scraping ice from Windshieldsof motor Vehiclesand the like.

An important object of this invention is to provide an improved scraping implement for quickly and conveniently-removing ice and hardened snow from motor vehicle Windshieldsv and 7 other similar surfaces. Another object of this invention is to provide an improved ice scraper so constructed in a novel manner that it will remove or scrape ice'from a'surface whether'the device is used with straight line or rotary motions in any direction. A further object of the invention isto" provide a novel" ice scraper provided with a body portion which may be firmly graspedin-the palm of the-hand of the user and so. shaped that it may be held against turning movement while the scraper is applied to an ice coated: surface. vention is to provide novel ice" cutting or scraping elements associated with the body portion which are mounted ina novel manner for rotation and a limited angular movement in any direction relative to the body;

Features of the invention rela-teto a device of this character which is so constructed that it is substantially Wholly composed of-plast'ic material and is capable of being; manufactured and assembled. at low cost; An important feature of the invention is the construction of the cutting elements and their mannerof mountin in the body portion of the device for limited universal movement relative thereto, the maximum angular movement of the elements. being controlledby, the body portion so as to provide the most efficient cutting action on the ice. Another important feature of the invention is the cutting edges. or the scrapin elements which aresh'aped in a novel manner forv cutting actionon the. device regardless of the direction of movement thereof. 7

Variousother objects, advantages and meritorious features of. the invention will" become more fully apparent from the foll'owing specification, appended claims and accompanyingdrawings wherein:

Fig. 1 is a. bottomview of adevice constructed in. accordance. With. this invention,

Fig. 2. is a vertical sectional. view of the device of Fig. l taken alon line. 2.'2' thereof;

Fig. 3 is. an enlarged detail verticall sectional view taken. through a.portion of the device. and illustrating the manner. in. which. the. device used on an ice coated surface,

A still further object of the in- Fig. 4 is an enlarged longitudinal sectional view through the operating end of one: of the cutting elements of the device,

Fig; 5 is an enlarged bottom end view of one of the: cutting elements,- and Figs. 6 and '7 are perspective views illustrating two different modifications of the cutting elements:

The embodiment of the invention illustrated in thedrawings i's adapted to'be held iirthe-hand' ofthe user andappli'ed over. an ice coated surface: such. as the windshield of a motor vehicle. Except for one connecting element, the device illustrated in the drawings is designed to be made wholly ofplastic material.

In: general, the' embodiinent of the invention illustrated in the drawings-comprises a'body' portion generally indicated at Hi. This body portiorr. is of a size and" shape to be conveniently and fi'r-ml ygrasped inthe palm of the hand. For thi'spurpose; itis noncircular: in formation, being providedwitha plurality of fiat sides l2 forming a polygonal or octagona-lshape as shown in Fig. 1. For convenience in manufacture and assembly, the-body is" composed of two superimposed plates" or blocks M- and Hi of plastic material; Both have the same outer dimensions and polygonal formation and when joined togethenthe fiatsid'es i=2 thereof are co-eX-tensive with one another. The upper member M has a flat smooth top'surface whichbears against the palmof the hand. 'I'hebottomside-of the member M is provided with a protuberanceor boss IB', preferably on thecentral vertical axis thereof and non-circular or polygonal in character whichis-adapted' toscat in a similar shaped recess. in the lower" member' it as shown in' Fig. 2; The two members are connected together byJa. threaded member'or: screw Zfi-entering from the bottom side of the lower member 56 and. threaded in theboss' !8. The interfittin relation of the: boss is in the recess of the lower member? it. prevents both rotation and" laterally shiftable movement'of one" member with respect to the othermember.

' The device also includes ice cutting" elements projectingfi'om the-bottom side of the body portion' iii and" adapted to enga'gea'n ice coated surfaee'and upon movementof the devicethereover scrape the ice" therefrom; These"cutting-elements correspond in size-and shape to one another and are. preferably composed" entirely of plastic materialor a materialless resistantthan thesurface materialvv upon which: the deviceisusedto remove ice and hardenedsnowt Referring particularlyto Fig. 3, each cutting element is in the form of a stud or pin of plastic material throughout having a shank portion 22 and a head 24 on one end of the shank portion. Preferably the shank portion is of substantially uniform cross section throughout its length and terminates abruptly at the end opposite the head to form cutting edges which will be described hereinafter. The head 24 is preferably substantially spherical or ball-shaped as shown for the purpose of allowing the pin to rotate freely relative to the body NJ.

The cutting elements or pins are mounted in the body II] for both rotation and limited angular movement in any direction relative thereto. This is accomplished in a novel manner by forming in the lower member l6 of the body a plurality of correspondingly shaped passages which extend parallel to one another and open out on the bottom side of the member. As shown in Fig. 1, these passages are formed in the body so that they occupy a considerable area of the bottom member 16 and open out in a symmetrical order as shown in Fig. 1.

Each passage in the body In is divided longitudinally into two sections or portions, one portion 26 of reduced cross section being located adjacent to the bottom side of the member I6 and opening out therefrom and the other portion 28 of larger or wider cross section located adjacent to the top side of the member l6 and opening out therefrom. The upper member i of the body extends across the openings of the wider portions of the passages closing the same and forming pockets in the interior of the body. The studs or pins are each mounted in a passage with the ball head 24 received within the pocket 28 and the shank 22 extending longitudinal through the reduced portion 26 of the passage. The heads of the pins are larger in size than the reduced portions 26 of the passage thereby preventing withdrawal of the pins from the body. The heads are slightly smaller in size than the pockets 28 and by virtue of their spherical shape are capable of rotatin freely in the pockets. Preferably both the side walls of the pockets 28 and the reduced passage sections 26 are circular in formation,

The shanks 22 are smaller in lateral dimension than the cross section of the reduced portions 26 of the passages as shown clearly in Fig. 3 and are of such a length as to project outwardly beyond the bottom side of the body l0. As a result of the clearance provided between the side walls of the reduced passage sections and the shanks of the pins extending therethrough, the pins have a limited angular movement in any direction relative to the body as shown by the comparison of the dotted and full line positions of the pins in Fig. 3. The limit to which the pins may wing with respect to the body If} is controlled by the size and length of the passages 26. The side walls of the passages act as stops against which the shank of the pins abut holding the pins from any further angular movement. It has been found that a very efficient cutting action is performed by the pins when they extend at substantially 6 to axes of the passages as indicated in Fig. 3. The respective dimensions of the passages 26 and the shanks of the pins are adjusted to obtain this desired angle. Either by varying the cross sectional area of the passages 26 or the length thereof, or by varying the cross sectional area of the shanks of the pins, it is possible to control the maximum inclination of the pins for the scraping operation. Thus, in the illustrated embodiment of the invention, the dimensions of these respective elements of the device are preformed to obtain the desired angle of substantially 6 for the scraping action.

The shank portions 22 of the scraping elements or pins are preferably of substantially uniform cross section throughout their length as previously mentioned. The shanks may be of various formations. They may be square in cross section as shown in Figs. 2 to 5 inclusive, or they may be cylindrical as shown at 22' in Fig. 6 or hexagonal as shown at 22 in Fig. 7. In whatever formation they are made, by abruptly terminating the workin end of each pin on a plane at least perpendicular to the axis thereof, a cutting edge is formed completel around the lower end of the pin. Preferably, the end faces of the pins are slightly depressed inwardly or countersunk as shown in Figs. 4 and 5. For a square shaped shank, this depression is preferably formed to provide four triangular inwardly inclined faces 3!] as shown in Fig. 5 meeting at a common apex on the axis of the pin which is the deepest part of the depression. Similar provision may be made on the Working ends of the pins shown in the modifications in Figs. 6 and '7.

In operation, the pins are freely rotatable and inclinable in any direction within their respective passages of the device. Fig. 3 illustrates the operation of the device on a surface 32 coated with ice 35. When the device is moved in the direction of the arrow in Fig. 3, the engagement of the pins with the ice coated surface causes them to assume the desired angle. When the device is pressed against the ice coated surface in this manner and moved thereover, the cutting edges of the pins bite into the ice and shave or scrape the ice therefrom. Unless the ice coating is relatively thin, the first movements of the pins over a given area will not remove all the ice in one stroke but instead will shave successive layers of ice from the surface until the last layer is removed. The user is not restricted to any particular movement. Since the pins are rotatable and capable of inclining in any direction, straight line or circular motions, or any combination of the two, may be imparted to the device. The squared or polygonal types of pins will automatically rotate to present a flat side of their shanks substantially perpendicularly to the direction of movement. The slant of the pins away from whatever direction of movement is imparted to the device plus their ability to rotate into the most efiicient biting position provides a plurality of cutting edges on the icy surface regardless of the direction of movement of the device. The rotational character of the pins also enables the cutting edges to sharpen themselves as wear occurs.

What I claim is:

1. An ice removing implement comprising, in combination, a rigid plastic body of a size to fit within the palm of a hand having a relatively flat polygonal shaped top surface and flat surfaced sides completely around the body which may be grasped by the fingers of the hand, said body provided with a plurality of similarly shaped parallel passages each opening at one end out through the bottom surface of the body and terminating at the other end in an enlarged pocket within the body, a polygonal cross-sectioned pin of rigid plastic material for each passage having a shank portion of greater length than the passage and a head portion larger in size than the passage but less than the pocket, each pin being mounted in the body with the shank portion extending through the passage and projecting beyond the bottom side of the body and with the head portion freely rotatably mounted within the pocket preventing withdrawal of the pin from the body, the shank portion of each pin being less in cross section than the passage within which it is mounted so as to provide clearance for limited angular movement of the pin in any direction relative to the body, and the outer extremity of each pin having an end face extending substantially perpendicularly to the axis of the pin and cooperating with the outer surface of the shank portion on all sides thereof to form a connected series of ice scraping edges completely therearound.

2. An ice removing device comprising, in combination, a body of hardened molded plastic material having a dimension such that it may fit within the palm of the hand, said body having the top surface polygonally shaped to provide a plurality of fiat surfaced sides around the body which may be grasped by the fingers of the hand in which it is used to prevent turning, a plurality of similarly shaped pins of hardened molded plastic material each having a shank portion of substantially uniform polygonal cross-section throughout its length and an enlarged head portion on one end thereof, said body provided with a plurality of similarly shaped vertically extending passages each opening at one end out through the bottom side of the body and ter-- minating at the other end in an enlarged cavity, said pins each being mounted in a passage of the body with the shank portion extending substantially longitudinally through the passage and the head portion disposed Within the cavity into the passage opening, said head portions of the pins being larger in size than the passages but smaller than the cavities thereby preventing withdrawal of the pins from the body and providing for rotational movement of the pins relative to the body, said shank portions being smaller in size than the passages so as to provide a limited angular movement of the pins in any direction, said shank portions further having a length so as to project beyond the bottom side of the body and each shaped at its outer extremity to provide an end face extending perpendicular to the axis of the pin and forming with the sides of the shank portion a connected series of ice scraping edges completely therearound.

3. An ice scraper comprising, in combination, a body of rigid plastic material, a plurality of similarly shaped polygonal cross-sectioned pins of rigid plastic material each having one end thereof terminating abruptly and providing an end face having a scraping edge on all sides of the end of the pin, and means mounting the opposite ends of the pins in the body so that they project from one side thereof and providing for rotational movement and limited angular movement of the pins in any direction relative to the body.

4. An ice scraper comprising, in combination, a body of relatively rigid material, a plurality of similarly shaped polygonal cross-sectioned pins of rigid material each terminating abruptly at one end to provide an end face extending substantially perpendicular to the axis of the pin, the common edge formed by said end face of each pin and the adjacent outside surface of the pin extending at substantially a right angle to each other providing a scraping edge on all sides of the pin, and means mounting the opposite ends of the pins in the body so that the pins project from one side of the body and providing for rotational movement and limited angular movement of the pins in any direction relative to the body, the rotational movement of the pins relative to the body permitting the pins to adjust themselves when moved along an ice covered surface and present a scraping edge to the ice in whatever direction the body is moved 'thereover.

5. An ice scraper comprising, in combination, a body of relatively rigid material, a plurality of similarly shaped polygonal cross-sectioned pins of rigid material each provided with an enlarged head on one end and terminating abruptly at the other end to provide an end face extending substantially perpendicular to the axis of the pin, said end face and the adjacent outside surfaces of each pin meeting at common edges on all sides of the pin end to form scraping edges having an angle approximating and means mounting the headed ends of the pins within the body so that the opposite ends of the pins project from the body in a compact group, said means providing for free rotation and limited. free angular movement of the pins in any direction relative to the body whereby in Whatever direction the body is moved the pins are selfadjustable when in engagement with an ice covered surface to present a scraping edge thereto.

6. An ice removing implement comprising, in combination, a body of rigid plastic material having a dimension such that it may be gripped in a hand, a plurality of similarly shaped pins of rigid plastic material softer than glass each having a shank portion of substantially uniform polygonal cross section throughout its length and each having an enlarged head on one end of the shank portion, the opposite end of the shank portion of each pin provided with an end face extending substantially perpendicular to the axis of the pin and cooperating with the side surfaces of the shank portion to form a plurality of scraping edges completely around the end face, said body provided with a plurality of correspondingly shaped parallel passages each opening at one end out through the bottom side of the body and terminating at the other end in an enlarged cavity in the body, said pins being mounted in the body with the heads thereof in the cavities and the shanks thereof extending through the passages for projection from the bottom side of the body, said cavities and said passages of the body being shaped so as to provide for rotational and limited angular movement of the pins relative to the body.

CLARENCE W. HARSHBARGER.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS OTHER REFERENCES Complete Home Workshop Cyclopedia, 1945 edition, page 139, Popular Science Publishing 00., Inc., N. Y., N. Y. 

